Robyn Malcolm

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Robyn Malcolm
Robyn Malcolm MNZM (cropped).jpg
Malcolm in 2019
Born1965 (age 5960)
Ashburton, Canterbury, New Zealand
OccupationActor
Years active1988–present
Relatives Roger Sutton (brother-in-law)

Robyn Jane Malcolm MNZM (born 1965) is a New Zealand actress, who first gained recognition for her role as nurse Ellen Crozier on the soap opera Shortland Street . She is best known for playing Cheryl West, matriarch to a sometimes criminal working-class family, in the television series Outrageous Fortune . She has also worked in Australia, including roles in the TV series Rake and Upper Middle Bogan . She plays the lead role in the six-part 2023 NZ drama After the Party .

Contents

Early life and education

Robyn Jane Malcolm [1] was born in 1965 [2] [3] in Ashburton, New Zealand. [4]

She attended Ashburton College, [4] and graduated from Toi Whakaari (New Zealand Drama School) with a Diploma in Acting in 1987. [5] [6]

Career

Malcolm's first long-running television role was nurse Ellen Crozier in soap opera Shortland Street . She appeared on the show for over five years. [7]

She played the lead role in television feature, Clare, based on the cervical cancer experiment at Auckland's National Women's Hospital which resulted in the Cartwright Inquiry. [7] [8]

In 1999, Malcolm was one of the founding members of the New Zealand Actors' Company along with Tim Balme, Katie Wolfe, and Simon Bennett. The company produced and toured a number of successful stage productions throughout New Zealand. [9]

In 2005, Malcolm took on the role of Cheryl West, matriarch of the West family, in Outrageous Fortune . Mixing comedy and drama, the show became one of the highest-rated and most honoured in New Zealand history. [10]

Malcolm co-starred in 2010 feature film The Hopes and Dreams of Gazza Snell, playing mother to a family obsessed with go-karting and motorsports. [11] She has also had small roles in movies Absent Without Leave directed by John Laing, [12] The Last Tattoo directed by John Reid, [13] Gaylene Preston's Perfect Strangers , [14] and Christine Jeffs' Sylvia . [15] She had a minor role as Morwen in the second film of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. [16]

She played Kirsty Corella in the Australian television series Rake , and Julie Wheeler in Upper Middle Bogan . [17]

She plays Mrs Keene on the 2023 drama series Black Bird . [18]

Malcolm plays the lead role in the six-part drama After the Party , which aired on TVNZ from 29 October 2023. [19] The Guardian reviewer Luke Buckmaster called it "one of the greatest performances in any TV show in years". [20]

On 31 January 2025, Malcolm was named in the cast for Netflix series The Survivors. [21]

Recognition, awards, and honours

Malcolm was nominated for Best Actress at the 1998 TV Guide Television Awards for her work in Shortland Street. She was nominated again for her role in Clare.[ citation needed ]

In 2003, Malcolm won an International Actors Fellowship at the Globe Theatre in London. [22]

For her role in Outrageous Fortune, Malcolm won several television awards, including the Qantas TV Awards for Best Actress in 2005 and 2008, TV Guide Best Actress in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 and Air NZ Screen Awards Best Actress in 2007.[ citation needed ]

Malcolm won the Woman's Day Readers' Choice Award for Favourite New Zealand Female Personality in 2005, and New Zealand's sexiest woman at the 2007 TV Guide Best on the Box awards. [23]

In the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours, Malcolm was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to television and theatre. [24] [1]

In March 2024 she was honoured with a Best Actress accolade at the Series Mania film festival in Lille, France. She received this prestigious award in the International Panorama section for her outstanding performance in After the Party, a series she co-created with writer Dianne Taylor. This recognition marked a significant milestone as the first time a New Zealand entry had been considered for an award at the festival. [25]

Filmography

Films

YearTitleRoleNotes
1992 Absent Without Leave Betty
1994 The Last Tattoo Working girl
2002 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Morwen
2003 Perfect Strangers Aileen
2003 Sylvia 1st woman at Ted Hughes' lecture
2005 Boogeyman Dr. Matheson
2009 The Lovely Bones Foreman's wifeuncredited
2010The Hopes & Dreams of Gazza SnellGail Snell
2011 Burning Man Kathryn Dent
2013 Drift Kat Kelly
2015Dream BabyMarianneShort film
2016EdithBarmaidShort film
2017Goodness Grows HereTrishShort film
2017 Hostiles Minnie McGowan
2018Twenty One PointsMumShort film
2018CharmerWomanShort film
2020This TownPam
2024 The Moon Is Upside Down Hilary [26]
2025 Pike River Sonya Rockhouse
Key
Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1989 Shark in the Park JaniceGuest role (1 episode)
1990–91Shark in the ParkJanet FinnGuest role (2 episodes)
1992MarriedMaddie
1993Joyful & TriumphantRaewynTelevision film
1994–99 Shortland Street Ellen Crozier Main role (600 episodes)
1999 The Tribe Ma'amGuest role (1 episode)
2000ClareClare MathesonTelevision film
2000Op' StarsNarratorTelevision documentary
2001 Atlantis High Violet ProfusionGuest role (1 episode)
2003 Mercy Peak LizGuest role (2 episodes)
2003 Intrepid Journeys Herself1 episode
2004Serial KillersPaulineLead role (7 episodes)
2005–10 Outrageous Fortune Cheryl West Lead role
2009 bro'Town Herself1 episode
2009Big Night InHerselfTelevision special
2009 The Jaquie Brown Diaries HerselfGuest (1 episode)
2010–14 Rake Kirsty CorellaRecurring role (11 episodes)
2013 Top of the Lake AnitaMain role (series 1; 7 episodes)
2013–14 Agent Anna Anna KingstonLead role; also executive producer
2013–16 Upper Middle Bogan Julie WheelerMain role
2014Charlotte: A Life Without LimbsPresenterTelevision documentary
2015 The Brokenwood Mysteries Ruth PhelpsEpisode: "To Die or Not to Die"
2015 The Principal SonyaGuest role (1 episode)
2016–18 Wanted Donna WalshRecurring role (10 episodes)
2016 The Code Marina BaxterMain role (series 2: 6 episodes)
2017 Wake in Fright Ursula Hynesminiseries
2018–21 Harrow Maxine PavichMain role
2018 Olivia Newton-John: Hopelessly Devoted to You Irene Newton-Johnminiseries
2018–19 The Outpost ElinorMain role (season 1–2: 23 episodes)
2021 My Life is Murder Tamara InnesEpisode : "Call of the Wild"
2022 Black Bird Sammy KeenRecurring role
2023 Far North HeatherMain role (season 1)
After the Party Penny WildingMain role
2024 Heartbreak High Cait WhiteGuest role (Season 2, Episode 5)
2025 The Survivors Verity ElliottTV series
Key
Denotes television series that have not yet been aired

Theatre

YearTitleRoleTheatre
1988 The Threepenny Opera Lucy Brown Downstage Theatre
1988The Rivers of ChinaVariousDownstage Theatre
1988 Les Liaisons Dangereuses Cecile de ValongesDownstage Theatre
1988JudyVariousDownstage Theatre
1988Jones & JonesIda BakerDownstage Theatre
1988GullsPuppeteerDownstage Theatre
1989 Twelfth Night Viola BATS Theatre
1989 The House of Bernarda Alba MartirioDownstage Theatre
1989 Othello Bianca Downstage Theatre
1989Aunt DaisyVariousDownstage Theatre
1990Sweet NothingsVariousNZ Tour
1990 Serious Money Mary Lou Baines / VariousDownstage Theatre
1990 Macbeth Ross / Hecate Downstage Theatre
1990 Hamlet Ophelia BATS Theatre
1990 The End of the Golden Weather VariousDownstage Theatre
1990Conquest of the South PoleLa BraukmanBATS Theatre
1991WeedRaewyn Circa Theatre
1991Via SatelliteChrissyCirca Theatre
1991 The Importance of Being Earnest Cecily CardewDownstage Theatre
1991Songs for Uncle ScrimVariousCirca Theatre
1991A Pack of GirlsRaewynDownstage Theatre
1993 Two Weeks with the Queen VariousCirca Theatre
1993 Lettice and Lovage Miss FarmerCirca Theatre
1995 Othello Emilia Watershed Theatre
1999 Much Ado About Nothing BeatriceDownstage Theatre
2000 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Maggie the CatDownstage Theatre
2000 A Midsummer Night's Dream Titania NZ Actors Company
2001A Way of LifeJennyNZ Actors Company
2001 A Midsummer Night's Dream TitaniaNZ Actors Company
2002 Middle-Age Spread Judy Auckland Theatre Company
2002Queen LeahKent / CaiusNZ Actors Company
2005 The Duchess of Malfi CariollaAuckland Theatre Company
2007 The Cut Susan Silo Theatre
2010 Happy Days Winnie Silo Theatre
2014 The Good Person of Szechwan Shen TehAuckland Theatre Company

Personal life

Malcolm was formerly married to Allan Clark and has two sons. [27] She is in a relationship with Scottish actor Peter Mullan, whom she met while filming Top of the Lake in 2013. [28] Her sister is married to Roger Sutton, the former CEO of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority. [29]

Activism

Malcolm voiced Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand advertisements for the New Zealand general election, 2008. [30]

Malcolm has helped spearhead an actors' union campaign to negotiate standard contracts for actors in The Hobbit films. The producers refused, saying that collective bargaining would be considered price-fixing and therefore illegal under New Zealand law. The situation escalated into international calls for an actors' boycott of the films, but the boycott was called off. Several days later, the producers said they were considering moving the films to another country as they could not be guaranteed stability in New Zealand. [31]

References

  1. 1 2 "Mike King, David Tua, Scott Dixon, Robyn Malcolm & more honoured on Queen's Birthday". The Rock. 2 June 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  2. Reid, Neil (3 January 2010). "TV star tells why she's joined Greenpeace". Sunday News. Archived from the original on 5 January 2010. Retrieved 21 June 2010. Malcolm, 44,
  3. Neville, Alice (21 March 2010). "TV stars' outrageous sexiness". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 21 June 2010. 45-year-old Malcolm
  4. 1 2 Collins, Simon (21 July 2009). "Celebs go toe-to-toe on smacks". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 16 February 2010.
  5. Hughes, Andrew; Wix, Olivia (26 November 2009). "The Job Tour: Movie and acting careers in Wellington". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 16 February 2010.
  6. "Graduate". www.toiwhakaari.ac.nz. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  7. 1 2 "ROBYN MALCOLM (plays Cheryl West)". TV3. Media Works NZ. Archived from the original on 23 February 2013.
  8. "Clare". NZ On Screen Iwi Whitiāhua. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  9. "Robyn Malcolm". NZ On Screen Iwi Whitiāhua. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  10. "Outrageous Fortune". NZ On Screen Iwi Whitiāhua. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  11. Baillie, Russell (27 January 2011). "Movie Review: The Hopes and Dreams of Gazza Snell". The New Zealand Herald .
  12. "Absent Without Leave". Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  13. "The Last Tattoo". NZ On Screen Iwi Whitiāhua. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  14. "Perfect Strangers (Original)". British Film Institute. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  15. Smithies, Grant (3 June 2019). "Actor Robyn Malcolm 'surprised and delighted' by Queen's Birthday Honour". Stuff.
  16. "Robyn Malcolm". NZ On Screen Iwi Whitiāhua. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  17. "Robyn Malcolm's brave new world". 27 January 2013.
  18. Skipwith, David (15 July 2022). "'Huge energy': Robyn Malcolm pays tribute to late Black Bird star Ray Liotta". Stuff.
  19. Greive, Duncan (25 October 2023). "Review: After the Party is queasy, morally complex and NZ's best TV drama in years". The Spinoff . Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  20. Buckmaster, Luke (29 April 2024). "After the Party review – one of the greatest performances in any TV show in years". The Guardian . Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  21. Knox, David (31 January 2025). "Cast announced for The Survivors | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  22. "Artists take their talent to the world". The New Zealand Herald . 22 May 2003. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
  23. "Westie named NZ's sexiest woman". Stuff . 15 November 2007. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
  24. "Queen's Birthday honours list 2019". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  25. "Robyn Malcolm takes out best actress gong at France film festival". Radio New Zealand. 24 March 2024.
  26. "The Moon is Upside Down". New Zealand Film Commission. Archived from the original on 17 May 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  27. Fraser, Fiona (16 August 2010). "Robyn Malcolm's double life". New Zealand Woman's Weekly . Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  28. Williams, Zoe (25 November 2024). "'Cosmetic surgery is screwing up the industry': Peter Mullan and Robyn Malcolm on their stunning midlife drama". The Guardian . Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  29. Hampton, Jeff. "Unconventional lines man appointed new quake boss". TV3 News. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  30. "Future focus at Green campaign launch". Stuff . 5 October 2008. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
  31. Paul Harper, Derek Cheng and Amelia Wade (21 October 2010). "Hobbit loss 'potential tragedy for NZ film'". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 5 November 2011.